


In Which Yue Does Not Save Sokka from Dumb, Dumb Firebenders

by McStupid



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Confession, Ember Island Players - Freeform, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Or at least Sokka does, Pre-Slash, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Secrets, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, because its zuko, but could be read as gen, but i love zukka, pre-zukka if you squint, the Gaang finds out about Zuko's scar, the scar, tw for terrible theater, zuko broods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:28:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27680099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McStupid/pseuds/McStupid
Summary: After the Ember Island Players, Sokka finds Zuko brooding and they have a Moment.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 315





	In Which Yue Does Not Save Sokka from Dumb, Dumb Firebenders

Zuko was sitting cross-legged, staring moodily into the dying embers of a small campfire he had set up on the beach when Sokka found him. 

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said by way of announcing his presence, and Zuko nearly jumped out of his tunic. Fucking Sokka somehow always managed to come up behind him on the left side, where the scar tissue had robbed him of most of his vision and some of his hearing. 

“Um, why?” he muttered, hoping Sokka didn’t notice him acting like a spooked rabbiroo. 

“Because I was worried about you?” The Water Tribe boy plopped down into the cool sand beside him- on the  _ left.  _

“Why?” Zuko couldn’t help but ask again. 

Sokka let out a snort and tipped his head back towards the moon, leaning back onto his palms. “Yue, save me from dumb, dumb firebenders.”

Zuko ignored that and it was quiet for a moment, save for the crackling of the dwindling fire.

“Because, you dumb idiot,” Sokka had mercy on him, “that play was-”

“I told you the Ember Island Players suck,” Zuko grumbled, pretending like that was the reason he was upset, and that it had nothing to do with the icy pit of anxiety that had been swirling around his stomach ever since he had watched a troupe of terrible actors dramatize the worst day of his life with cheesy dialogue and terrible effects.

He had wanted to jump out of his seat and scream “that’s not how it happened!” and storm the stage to shout to everyone who would listen about what had happened that day. He had wanted to disappear into the thinnest wisp of smoke so that his new friends would stop _ fucking _ looking at him like that. He had wanted to throw up from residual fear and the phantom pains that blasted through his tattered nerve endings. In the end, he had done none of those things, but sat in stoic silence for the rest of the play while half-formed flashbacks flitted in front of his eyes like his own private play.

“Yeah… that was not a good ending,” Sokka replied lightly. 

“Not a great beginning either,” Zuko snorted in spite of himself. He could practically feel Sokka concentrating on not staring at his scar. He sighed. “You’re allowed to look at it, you know. Everybody else stares.”

And Agni, he was fucking sick and tired of the staring and the whispering and the babies who took one look at his mangled visage and burst into tears. It just would have been nice to skip that shit with Sokka. 

“I’m not… that’s not why I’m looking,” Sokka awkwardly shuffled around until he was directly facing Zuko across the fire. “I’m just-”

“I know it’s ugly, okay?” Zuko snapped, hunching into himself. The fire flared up slightly. “It makes babies cry,” he chuckled humorlessly, staring into the fire. “So. It’s really fine, Sokka.”

“If you let me  _ finish,  _ jerkbender,” Sokka tossed a pebble in his direction for emphasis, “I was going to say I was looking because I never really thought about your scar before. I didn’t realize…”

Zuko furrowed his brow. “You never thought about it?”

“I mean, when you were our enemy, it didn’t really matter what you looked like,” Sokka poked the fire, shrugging. “And then once you joined the squad, we were already used to what you looked like.”

“I… oh.” 

The fire crackled happily. 

The silence stretched on, and Sokka seemed content to allow it to. 

“You’re allowed to ask,” Zuko finally murmured. “I know you want to.”

“Well, here’s the thing, jerkbender,” Sokka replied airily. “I mostly just want to ask if you’re okay. But also- I won’t pretend I wasn’t wondering if it was true.”

“I mean, yes and no,” Zuko sighed, bowing to the inevitable. He met Sokka’s eyes across the fire and was struck by how beautiful he looked with the shadow of the flames dancing across his tanned face. “They got the basics right. I spoke out in a war meeting- but it was against senseless slaughter of our own troops- and my f-Ozai challenged me to an Agni Kai. Fire duel,” he added in response to the question he saw forming in Sokka’s brain. Zuko forced himself to maintain eye contact. “I didn’t realize I would be fighting him, so I accepted. At the duel, I refused to fight him, so he burned my face off and banished me.” Sokka’s eyes were enormous, and Zuko allowed himself a single quivering breath. He would not cry over Ozai any longer. 

“Shit, Zuko…” Sokka breathed. “And they all knew about it? The actors? It wasn’t a secret?”

Zuko snorted. “It happened in an amphitheater, Sokka. There was a whole crowd- cheering for him.”

Sokka was agape. “That’s so fucked up, Zuko.” A beat. “I mean, I know I should be comforting you right now, but… that is so fucked up.”

A slightly manic laugh burbled out of Zuko’s lips. “So fucked up.”

“I know it’s Aang’s job,” Sokka leveled him with a serious stare, “but if he can’t do it… I would love to kill your piece of shit dad for you.”

Zuko’s laughter died down as he realized Sokka was serious. He found that he was strangely touched. “...Thanks, Sokka.”

“No problem!” Sokka sprang to his feet. “That was very emotional. What do you say we raid your family’s booze cabinet, just you and I?”

“Sounds amazing.”


End file.
